Empower Your Career These 5 Ways

Women, people of ethnic minorities, and other groups may be rising in the work sphere, but prejudice and other factors can still hold these professionals back from achieving their full potential. Luckily, there are a few key ways you can empower your career. If you feel that you aren't being given enough credit and receiving the opportunities you deserve in the workplace, take these five steps to take control of your career and find success.

1. Define Your Career Goals

The first action you should take to empower your career is to write down your list of personal career goals. Once you've jotted them down, separate these into short-term and long-term goals, such as those you want to accomplish in the next few months and those for the next five years. Under each goal, create a subcategory of smaller, actionable tasks to help you complete your goals.

2. Make Yourself Stand Apart

Many workers feel invisible in the workplace, but if you truly want to empower your career, become indispensable. This comes from knowing your value, including the skills and abilities that set you apart, and capitalizing on them. For instance, if you have a knack for organization, you could submit a new office arrangement to your manager that would improve efficiency in the workplace.

3. Shift Your Attitude

Approaching your workday with a confident attitude is a solid way to empower your career, but knowing when to change your attitude is just as essential. Learn to recognize when you need to stand your ground and become more aggressive as well as when you need to be soft and empathetic.

4. Define Success for Your Career

All business professionals have their own definition of success, and knowing what that is for you can help point you in the right direction. Unlike your goals, your definition of success is your overall vision that tells you what you want in the long term. For example, do you want to be successful by a certain age? Is career success your main objective, or does it need to balance with building a family or maintaining other hobbies?

5. Find a Mentor

While you can empower your career on your own, there is no shame in asking for help. Find a mentor at work or in your personal life who has achieved similar success to what you hope to achieve. This person can give you guidance and support you when things get tough.

It's easy to feel weak and invisible in the professional world, but with a few simple practices, you can be well on your way to achieving your goals and becoming successful. Make yourself stand out, change up your attitude, and get the help of a mentor to begin to empower your career today.

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